Supreme Court intervention looms large in the Deoghar treasury scandal as it agrees to hear CBI’s petition against Lalu Prasad Yadav’s sentence suspension starting April. The move reignites scrutiny on the RJD patriarch’s role in the systematic plunder of public treasury.
Core allegations: Fraudsters withdrew over Rs 89 lakh from Deoghar treasury using fake vouchers for non-existent animal husbandry goods budgeted at Rs 4.7 crore during 1990-1994. Yadav’s 2017 conviction—3.5 years rigorous imprisonment—hinged on evidence of his interference, blocking probe files during his chief ministerial reign.
In a brisk Tuesday hearing, Justices MM Sundresh and NK Singh’s bench rebuked delays in similar cases, mandating closure for deceased parties and earmarking April for CBI’s arguments. Prosecutors decried the convicts’ ‘illegal freedom’ post two-year-old convictions.
Yadav’s fodder empire extends to four other guilty verdicts: dual Chaibasa treasury embezzlements, Dumka treasury scam, and Doranda fraud—exposing a Bihar-wide racket in fictitious vet expenditures worth hundreds of crores.
With Yadav’s health bail under fire, the apex court’s ruling could enforce long-overdue punishment or extend clemency. Politically charged, it spotlights enduring questions of power, corruption, and legal reckoning in India’s democracy.